Missy’s This That

There’s a sitcom quality to Missy’s This That. The four-year-old wine bar is set above a convenience store in a quiet strip mall. Groups of twentysomethings linger around the diner counter from late afternoon into the wee-er hours. A Jelly Belly neon sign glows behind the bar. Cocktails are named things like Orange Yuzu Glad We Used the Fancy Almonds in This??

But crack the surface and you’ll realize Missy’s is a serious wine bar.

The wine list (see “novella”) has over 300 bottles, including obscure sips and jeroboam formats, big international names, and local heroes like the Québécois Pinard et Fils (hard enough to find in its home province, let alone in Stampede City). As if the menu is not dizzying enough, take into account it’s pared down. Owner-operator Thomas Dahlgren (Bar Von der Fels) has a warehouse a few blocks from the bar, where he sits on vintage-upon-vintage Burgundy, Spanish treasures, Napa sleeper hits and other bottles that deserve some aging before opening. And when they do, it’s always a celebration — events like a Boeuf Bourguignon anniversary party are occasions to open 12-litre bottles of Pol Roger.

Name-dropping aside, there’s no wine-pro posturing here. Missy’s operates with a warm sense of levity and approachability. A Moosehead lager is just at home on your table as is a Dirty Martini Highball or that bottle of Valentini or back-vintage Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey.

It’s a casual hangout where Calgary’s chefs, servers and sommeliers go to unwind — a watering-hole-in-the-wall that excels in offering a welcoming environment with the funkiest sips west of Toronto. For these reasons, Missy’s This That is our 2026 winner for best wine bar.

—Kaitlyn McInnis